Urging Your Girlfriend to Diet May Lead to Binge Eating

New research suggests encouraging your partner to drop pounds could backfire.

by Nate Millado

We've already told you the 10 worst things you could say to a woman. Consider this No. 11. New research from the University of Minnesota suggests that urging your partner to lose a few pounds could lead to something more serious than just you getting the silent treatment or a night on the couch. The study's lead author, Marla Eisenberg, an associate professor of adolescent health and medicine at the university, surveyed nearly 1,300 young men and women in relationships. The line of questioning focused on whether your partner dieted, and whether they encouraged you to diet. Both behaviors were linked to unhealthy eating habits, like binge eating and induced vomiting, Eisenberg said.

Among the results published in the July/August issue of the American Journal of Health Promotion:Binge eating among women who weren't encouraged to diet "at all" (14%) nearly doubled when pressed to do so "very much" (25%), while binge eating among men jumped from 4% to 14% when incessantly urged by significant others to diet. So, how do you get your girl to espouse healthy habits without sounding like a prick? Couch it as a health issue and steer far, far…far away (did we mention far?) from making it about her appearance.

Need more advice on this land mine situation? Check out this answer from a hot girl.

Better yet: Get healthy together. Strapping on some sneakers and asking her out on a fitness date is a lot more sensitive than asking her if she really needs that crème brûlée for dessert. And if you need more incentive, well, we'll leave it to this report, which says 66% of runners say they have more sex when they run with their other halves.